Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking to overturn the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to restore the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to Olympic participation.
The IOC had suspended the ROC in 2023 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, on 7 July 2026, the Olympic body lifted the suspension, stating that the sanction was no longer applicable.
The decision marks another step towards Russia’s return to international sporting events and could pave the way for Russian athletes to compete under their national flag at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Ukraine’s Olympic Committee argues that the IOC acted prematurely by reinstating the ROC without first confirming that the issues which led to its suspension had been fully addressed.
According to the committee, the IOC overlooked an earlier ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the suspension in 2024 after determining that the inclusion of sports organisations from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories violated both the Olympic Charter and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The Ukrainian body warned that restoring the ROC’s rights before resolving those concerns would undermine international sports law and establish a troubling precedent for the Olympic movement.
Following the outbreak of the war, Russian and Belarusian athletes were permitted to compete only as neutral participants at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Russia also remains suspended by FIFA, while World Athletics has continued to reject calls to lift restrictions on Belarusian athletes and teams.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport will now consider Ukraine’s appeal and determine whether the IOC’s decision to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee should remain in effect ahead of future international competitions.
